


The one I needed but never had

by orphan_account



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Never Met, Angst, Anxiety, Character Study, Eventual Relationships, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:07:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23761306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: What would happen if kuroo and kenma never became friends?How would their personality change?Would they have ever played volleyball?What would they do in university?What if they met when they were older instead?
Relationships: Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

Kenma sat in his room, kuroo, his new neighbor sitting beside him. The two shy boys were barely talking and struggling to get to know each other. Kenma sighed quietly, although he loved video games, they had been playing the same one every time kuroo was over. Kenma considered asking to play something else, he opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly felt shy and stopped. Kuroo glanced at him for a moment before turning back to the screen. 

Kuroo and Kenmas parents eventually gave up on getting them to be friends. Kenma felt somewhat sad, but also relieved that he didn't have to deal with the social interactions. The two boys still saw each other once in a while, but only ever waved slightly. Since they were in different grades, they were never close during school either, as they grew older they forgot the other existed 

~▪~

Kenma had his hair loose over his face while he quickly walked towards the university building. His mom had taken the majority of his belongings to his dorm already, so he only had to carry his backpack. The backpack held his favourite belongings, like his portable gaming devices, headphones, charger, and phone. He felt anxiety bubbling in his chest as he neared the dorms, unfortunately, the university he was going too didn't offer single dorms; instead every first year would share a room with a second year so that they "wouldn't be as nervous" Sharing a room had the opposite effect for kenma. Once you were in your third year you could ask for a single room, but only the few with the best reasons would get one. Kenma couldn't wait to be in his third year.

He stopped in front of his dorm room, and took a deep breath before opening the door. He opened it slowly and peeked in. A tall guy with messy black hair sat on the bed on the right side of the room, the man startled slightly and looked towards the door. Upon seeing kenma, he smiled and waved, welcoming him in. "Hello! I'm kuroo, kuroo tetsurou, i'm gonna be your dorm mate from now on" kuroo stood up from the bed and stuck his hand out. Kenma looked up, kuroo must be at least 5 inches taller than him, he breathed in and out, keeping a blank face, then realized he should probably shake hands. He reached out and awkwardly let kuroo lead the movement, then let go as quickly as possible. "Kenma kozume" kenma mumbled, just loud enough so kuroo could hear him. Kuroo seemed to understand kenma wanted his space, since he went back to his bed and continued his unpacking without saying another word. 

Kenma started unloading his box of video games, organizing them onto a shelf by the desk on his side of the room. He thought about his dorm mate as he began folding his clothes, he quickly realized the name kuroo tetsuro sounded oddly familiar. I've never had a real friend before, it can't be that, he shivered at the thought that he may be an old bully, but quickly decided that's not logical, kuroo seemed kind. Unfortunately his mind didn't care about kenmas choice. Kenma looked over at kuroo questioningly, he was ignoring the temptation to check on his dorm mate before, not wanting to seem creepy, but he couldn't help it now that he was trying to figure out where he knew him from. Kuroo had finished unpacking, and was flopped over his bed, headphones in, watching something on his phone. He didn't notice Kenmas glance, so after a quick inspection, Kenma went back to unpacking so he could flop too. 

They ended up not talking for the whole day, kenma had arrived around 430, and it was now 8. Both had finished their packing, so now they were both relaxed on their beds. Kuroo was still watching something on his phone, and kenma had started playing video games on his Nintendo switch. The evening progressed, neither of them initiating a conversation. It was around 930 when kuroo turned off his video, plugged in his phone, and talked. "Hey, kozume-san?" Kenma looked towards him, not making eye contact as his fringe fell loose over his face. "Just kenma is fine" he mumbled softly. Kuroo nodded at him, a smile on his face. "Alright then. Kenma, is it ok if i turn out the lights soon? I'm gonna get ready for bed" Kenma checked the time on his phone before nodding, he turned off his game and plugged the device in for tomorrow. 

~▪~

Kuroo grabbed pajamas and walked quickly to the washroom. He sighed at himself, his new dorm mate either didn't like him, or was just really damn shy. He noticed how they didn't even look at him all evening, or how he would give the smallest responses when he tried to start a conversation. 'I shouldn't judge, he could just be nervous in this new environment.' Adjusting the grip on his clothes, he went into the stall furthest from the door. 'Kenma kozume. The name rings a bell.' He put on the pokemon pants and loose white tee-shirt. 'He already wants me to call him kenma. First name basis is a good sign!' He smiled to himself at the thought. Once changed, he grabbed his discarded clothes and went back to the dorm room. Opening the door, he saw kenma already under the covers, facing the wall, and seemingly asleep. He chuckled softly and threw his clothes into a box that he just now decided would be his new hamper. Making sure his alarm was set, he jumped into bed and let himself drift to sleep.

~▪~

Kenma woke up to the sound of an alarm, but not his alarm, instead it was an edited version of uptown funk. He grumbled and buried his head under his pillow. He's sure he stayed like that for 10 minutes, the alarm getting louder as each minute passed, until finally it turned off and he heard a quiet "sorry" from kuroo. He sighed and came out of his cocoon of blankets, awkwardly avoiding eye contact while he grabbed some fresh clothes for the day, since he didn't change into pajamas last night. He glanced at Kuroo, seeing the man discreetly digging through a messy drawer of clothes. After realizing his peak had turned into a stare, he hid behind his hair and ran out of the dorm. Of course, it's not like he dashed away, it was just a quick walk. Somewhat. 

He slowed his pace as he walked to the dorm bathroom. He still felt shy about the fact his entire floor shared a bathroom, since public bathrooms made him anxious. He went to the stall furthest away from the door, changing as quickly as possible while not letting his clothes touch the floor. He was now wearing a black tee-shirt with minecraft hearts across the front, his favorite hoodie, which was white with a zipper in the front, and some grey sweatpants. He never really worried about his appearance, as long as it didn't draw too much attention to him. As he stepped out of the stall, he noticed another student at the sinks. All kenma noticed before he looked down at his feet, social anxiety taking over, was that it was a man probably 6 inches taller than him with short and fluffy brown hair. 

He turned to leave the bathroom as fast as possible, accidentally bumping into the man on his way out. He stumbled and was only just able to keep hold of his laundry while still keeping his balance. The man on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. He had stumbled forward and soaked his arms in water from the tap. Kenma looked over, and his eyes widened when he noticed what happened. "I'm sorry" he said quietly while looking down at his feet. The man shook his sleeves, attempting to dry them off. "It's alright I suppose..." the man looked over at kenma, who was nervously hidden behind his hair. "You alright?" kenma quickly nodded before running out of the bathroom. He winced at himself as he felt his heart race increase. Now that he lived in the dorms, there really isn't a place he could hide out on his own when he got anxious. At least not that he knew of yet. Hopefully he would find one soon, he didn't want to have to run into his dorm looking scared while kuroo was there again. 

~▪~ 

Kuroo, if you say it simply, was surprised when Kenma bursted into the dorm, the door closing just as fast as it opened. Kenma looked freaked out as he dropped his clothes beside his bed and grabbed his headphones and nintendo switch. Kuroo put his phone down while kenma flopped onto his bed, hid under the blankets, and started playing a game. Kuroo walked over to the bed, now feeling concern along with surprise. He rested his hand on kenmas shoulder, not sure if he should intervene. Had something happened when kenma went to change? Kenma already looked nervous in the morning, was it something else? Kuroo couldn't lie, he related to Kenma at this moment, he had been dangerously shy up until his highschool years, he still felt his nerves jump up once in a while. 

"Are you ok?" He asked gently. Kenma didn't seem to react, so after a few minutes of waiting, he left back to his bed to give kenma some time. His phone lit up with a text notification.

from : trash man🗑  
To: kuroo  
Is it sane to hang my shirt out the window? 

Kuroo breathed out a laugh, this is just the kind of stuff oikawa would text him. 

From: kuroo  
To: trash man🗑  
What did you do this time? 

From: trash man🗑  
To: kuroo  
Hey it wasn't me! Some guy ran into me in the bathroom and i fell into the sink, i got water all over my sleeves! >◇<

Kuroo glanced over to the lump of blankets on the other bed that was kenma. He already knew that oikawa was on the same floor as him, could it have been Kenma that ran into oikawa? Was that what freaked kenma out? Or was him being freaked out the reason why he ran into oikawa? He couldn't know for sure. 

From: trash man🗑  
To: kuroo  
Hellooo~ 

Kuroo startled, he didn't realize how long he had been staring at kenma in thought. He quickly looked away, grabbing his phone to get back to the conversation. 

From: kuroo  
To: trash man🗑  
Do you remember what they looked like? The guy that ran into you? 

From: trash man🗑  
To: kuroo Pft- kinda weird you wanna know, are you gonna go beat them up too avenge me? Cuz that's sweet of you, but i dislike violence ♡~♡

From: kuroo  
To: trash man🗑  
Shut up oikawa, i might know them 

From trash man🗑  
To: kuroo Finee~ they had long black hair, it looked bleached at the bottom. They were average height, so much shorter than us tall folks ^w^ and they seemed shy. Is that a good description for you? :3 

From: kuroo  
To: trash man🗑  
Yeah, thanks 

From: trash man  
To: kuroo  
So~ do u know them or not lover boy? .w. 

From: kuroo  
To: trash man🗑  
I'll tell you someday, bye 

From: trash man🗑  
To: kuroo  
You break my heart! ×~× bye-bye kuroo-chan~ 

Kuroo set his phone down with a sigh, glancing over to kenma again. His speculation about what happened in the bathroom was right, it was Kenma who ran into oikawa. Hopefully oikawa didn't say anything stupid and scare kenma, that's something oikawa has defenitly done before. Kenma seemed timid, so it was very possible oikawa freaked him out with a sarcastic remark or some kind of dramatic motion of dismay. 

~▪~ 

Kenma had felt Kuroo's eyes on him when he ran into the dorm, that didn't help his racing heart. Attention, while others loved it, kenma despised it. He hated the feeling that people were constantly judging him. Perhaps when other people got attention, it felt different to them. He did whatever he could to avoid having people's eyes on him, but sometimes that failed and just left him with even more seemingly piercing stares. He knew somewhere in his mind that people didn't watch his every move, it's not like he was anything special, but he always felt a burning sensation that someone was watching him. According to his mother and his psychiatrist, that was social anxiety. Putting a label on it made coping easier in a way. His physiatrist gave him many common ways people would deal with it, and helped him find his own ways too. Sometimes it wasn't enough, but luckily, right now it wasn't as bad as it could be, and his video games were all he needed to get back into a calmer state of mind. 

The sounds of his character fighting distracted him from the ringing in his ears, and the graphics in the animations helped him focus on things other than his struggle to breath. It was a perfect mix, this is why kenma relied on his video games for comfort so often. After just ten minutes or so, he had calmed enough so that all he felt was a slight pain in his chest, more of a tingle even, either way, much easier to deal with. For kenma, this was how he was every day, the slight tingle was his normal. He continued to play his game a while longer, invested in his current quest, until an alert went off on his phone, telling him his first class was in fifteen minutes. He grabbed his backpack, and shoved the books he needed inside. He had decided it was easier to ignore kuroos presence, so he walked out of the dorm without saying goodbye. Although he did notice kuroo waving from the corner of his eye as he left. First day of classes, time to see what could possibly go wrong.


	2. maybe, just maybe.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kenma has his first class, and kuroo trys to do his new years resolution.

_ Kuroo woke up, today was his first day of his first year in middle school. His nerves were on edge as he got up and changed. He knew what he wanted to do, but he didn't know if he could. He wanted so bad to join the middle school volleyball team, he knew his new school had one, but he wasn't good with new places, and didn't have anyone to go with. His first day went as usual, only unusual thing, he actually made a friend. Maybe. He sat with them at lunch at least, their name was tomoya. He never did go to the volleyball tryouts. Maybe next year. _

{~}

Kenma was walking quickly to his class, fringe loose over his face, white backpack over both shoulders. His first lecture was on javascripts, he already knew a lot on that topic. He’d coded some small games in his free time before, but the course he was on expected you to know only the basics. Hopefully, he could relax during this class, and not worry too much about paying attention. Currently, he wasn't in the right mindset to do so. He was still worried about what happened in the bathroom, even though he knew he didn't have to be, he couldn't get it off his mind. He felt relaxed enough that he could hopefully learn something from the lecture, if there was anything he didn't already know. He just hoped that the guy he had bumped into wasn't in his class. He probably wasn't, that sounds like something that would happen in a cheesy reality tv show.

  
  


Soon enough, kenma arrived at the lecture hall. He sat down in a seat that was in the row in front of the one in the very back. He always chose this row, since it was comfortably away from the sensei, but not in the cliche spot for a loner to sit, therefore he had the least attention on him as possible. He put his backpack beside his chair, pushing it under so he wouldn't disturb others walking by. Before shoving it under, he grabbed a notebook to write his notes in. He had got multiple notebooks, one for every class he was in. Since this was a beginners course in javascripts, he was pretty sure he wouldn't need to take many notes, but it was always possible this sensei had some good tricks for him to know. Most of the students had laptops with them for their notes, but he didn't want to risk carrying his in his backpack. When he's back at the dorm, he may end up putting the notes into a google docs anyway.

  
  


The moment he heard the sensei’s voice greeting the class of tired freshmans, he looked up and tried to focus as much as possible. Of course, that was easier said then done. It was good this was a class he wasn't too worried about, he could use it as practice for the others he would have to actually pay attention to. His mom had been insistent he minor in something other then coding, since she wasn't sure it would be a stable job for him. It's not like she didn't support him, when she saw the first level of a small game he made, she had teared up in joy. When that happened, he had freaked out for a moment, concerned that she was upset. After some discussions with her, he and his mom had decided he would take a minor in business, since it may end up being helpful as a game designer as well. He wasn't as confident in the business courses he would be taking.

  
  


He quickly noticed he had spaced out, seeing as the other students in the class had already taken many notes. He quickly opened his notebook, hoping he didn't seem like a know-it-all for not paying attention. He knew in the back of his head that nobody even noticed, they would have been too wrapped up in their own studying, but he couldn't help but feel like someone was glaring at him, it sent a shiver down his spine at the thought. He washed his thoughts away as best he could, and tried to pay attention to the lecture once more. Like he had thought, everything the sensei was saying he already knew, besides a little trick for how to skip a small step in a basic coding process. The step didn't take too long, but when you were doing it a lot, it got tiring and annoying to continue to repeat. He made sure to note the shortcut down.

{~}  


  
  


Kuroo lazed about in the dorm room, it was clear Kenma had a class to go too, but kuroos first lecture wasn't until the afternoon. Speaking of kenma, why on earth could he not get that boy out of his mind? Hah, boy, it was like he was thinking as if kenma wasn't an 18 year old young adult. It felt wrong to have that image of kenma, but he couldn't help but think of him as someone he had to protect. Kenma seemed to be in a world of his own, like he was in himself, before he started to come out of his shell. He wanted to help kenma break free as well. Damn his thoughts were cheesy as hell. He laughed at his mind before making himself get out of bed and be active. This year was the year he would actually keep up his new year's resolution of exercise. At least, that's what he's telling himself. 

  
  


He grabbed some track pants and a cozy tee-shirt, put on his running shoes, grabbed his phone, and went outside. The university was located in a beautiful spot. It was definitely a city, but not a huge one like his home town tokyo. The university was in a downtown area, but jog for ten minutes and you're into a cozy area of the city that really gave small town vibes that kuroo loved. There were cute coffee shops, much like you would see in cliche romance movies, littering the streets. Along with a few musicians that busked in more open spots of the sidewalks. All in all, it was a relaxing part of town to be in, barely anything bad happened there, at least from kuroos knowledge. Most people had music on if they were running, but kuroo prefered to listen to the music of the town, it relaxed him in a way music couldn’t. 

  
  


Before he knew it, it was 1030am. He turned around and began his jog back to the dorms, planning to have a quick shower before eating and preparing for class. Kenma should be back by now too, not that kuroo cares that much. No, that's a lie, even though kuroo just met kenma and barely even talked to him, he related to him in an emotional way. At least from what kuroo had seen. He hoped that eventually kenma would open up to him, and they could be friends. He was ready to wait, no matter how long it took, he wanted it to be natural and comfortable. He didn't want to scare kenma away.

  
  


{~} 

  
  


Kenma had finished his class by 9, and arrived back to the dorm by 915. When he came in, he was happy to see kuroo wasn't there. Although he felt bad at the thought, he knew it came from a good reason. Now that he was in university, the majority of his time would be spent with others. That was pretty much his nightmare. He didn't want to exaggerate, but it was definitely much much harder than highschool. Well, there were ups and downs. In highschool he had to deal with more interactive classes, presentations in front of other students, and bullying. But now he had to deal with all his at home alone time gone. Maybe he could make a magic potion that would immediately make him a third year, and he could live alone. That sounded just as stupid as making a love potion for your crush, but at this point, kenma would do anything to get a place for him to live alone. It had only been a day, his next couple years were going to be exhausting.

  
  


He grumbled, it was already 945, his alone time was going away faster than hunger bars in minecraft when you were in hard mode and sprint jumping through a two-block tall strip mine. He didn't know when to expect his roommate back, but he was perfectly fine with it if he never came back at all. Well that was unexpectedly grim. It's not like kenma wanted him to die, he just wanted to be in a room without another person's stuff littering the space. It felt wrong for his games to be about eight feet away from a stranger's sports manga. He smiled softly as he beat another level in his game. At this rate, he may finish this game today. If he didn't have to go to two other classes. One was scheduled for the afternoon, and the other was some introduction course for all the freshmen about how things worked at the university, now that was what he was least excited for. He could deal with another lecture of stuff he already knew.

  
  


He lazed about on his bed playing video games for another fifteen minutes before deciding to be productive. It might be nicer if his roommate came home to see him doing work instead of goofing off. He didn't have any homework to do, but he had to put his notes onto his laptop, and plus, he wanted to try out the tip his sensei had shared. He got out of bed slowly, deciding it was ok to take his time. Once he had left his comfortable nest, he sat down at his desk, pulled out his laptop, and got to work. He liked to save the best for last, so he started with transferring his notes to digital, they would be easier to go through later that way. After he was done with that, we would let himself play with some coding.

  
  


It only took him fifteen more minutes to put his notes onto the docs he had made, he didn't take too many, and he could type very fast. He smiled softly as he opened up his coding softwares, he had some new ideas for small games. Inspired by his time at university so far, he wanted to make a silly spice of life game about a student who has to get good grades. He would probably only make a few levels, this was mainly a joke, just something to pass his time with. Unfortunately, his peace was gone the moment he heard the dorm door open. He stared at his computer, not wanting to have to make conversation with the man at the door. He scrunched his nose up at the smell of sweat, and kept working on his coding. Luckily, the man seemed to ignore him as well, he heard the drawer on his bed open, some shuffling of clothes, then he heard it close again. Kuroo probably planned to have a shower. From the smell surrounding kenma, it certainly seems he needs one.

  
  


He felt a presence appear behind him, and was overly aware of the stare over his shoulders. Looking down at his keyboard, he waited for kuroo to leave. He startled when instead he heard him talk. “Whatcha doing there kenma?” kenma grumbled softly to himself, annoyed he would have to talk to him. He knew that was the best thing to do. He was complaining about living with a stranger, he should make an attempt to befriend kuroo so he's living with a friend instead. But making friends was never his forte. “Coding” he answered quickly and softly, hoping to leave the conversation at that. “That's cool! Is it for homework?” kenma shook his head, hiding a smile as he used the trick he learned. It would definitely save time as he coded the whole game. “Hey, I don't think you ever said, but what are you studying?” without thinking much, kenma replied freely, shocking himself at how relaxed he felt. “Computer science, with a minor in business” 

  
  


Even with the piercing glare he felt, he was oddly comforted by the way kuroo was talking to him. “Awesome! I'm studying chemistry with a minor in engineering” Kenma nodded, still half distracted by his coding. After a surprisingly comfortable silence, kuroo spoke up again, his voice sounding smooth and gentle. “Alright, i'm gonna go have a shower, see you later!” kuroo walked out of the dorm, towel and fresh clothes in his arms. “...see you” kenma mumbled back. He didn't fully realize he just had a comfortable conversation with his roommate for a few minutes, but once he realized, he couldn't help but smile softly. Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to befriend this one person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i posted this a little late! hopefully you guys like it ^^  
> this fanfiction really is going to be a slow burn XD


	3. a conversation on games, thoughts of more

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shower thoughts, gaming, communication, and maybe lunch.

_ Kenma was the only kid in his class that wasn't part of a school club. His only true interest was video games, and he knew the school would never allow a club for something like that. Most of the clubs were sports based, Kenma knew he was the opposite of athletic, so he didn't want to join any of those. Some second year kid had begged him to join the volleyball team, apparently they needed a setter for when their third year setter left. Kenma declined, obviously, he had no knowledge on volleyball, besides the fact there's a net and two different teams. He didn't mind not being in a club anyway, that way he has as little human interaction as possible. _

{~}

Kuroo felt the warm water running down his body, relaxing his tired muscles. His class wasn't for another few hours, so he was in no rush. He took his time to relax, not worrying too much about anyone else needing the showers, for there were seven others open. He felt proud of himself, he had successfully had a small conversation with kenma! For most this would be a very small achievement, but for kuroo it felt much bigger. Kenma was clearly shy, probably a loner of sorts, and kuroo himself was awkward as well. He had been concerned that Kenma thought he was being too pushy, and even becoming acquaintances would be unlikely. He had higher hopes of being friends now, but decided not to wish for anything more, as that seemed an unlikely way for things to go. The thought still rang in the back of his head nevertheless. 

  
  


After he felt his fingers become wrinkly, he knew it was about time to step out. Grabbing his shampoo from the shelf in the small communal shower, he stepped out into the small changing stall. There was one with each shower, they had a small bench, six hooks, three on each side, and a curtain in the front to protect the students' privacy. He put the shampoo on the bench, and toweled off rather fast, grabbing his fresh clothes. He had brought a red plaid button up shirt that he wore over a black tee-shirt, along with some dark blue jeans. Slipping said outfit on, he rubbed his messy hair with the towel. Even after having a shower, it continued to stick up in odd ways. Contrary to what others may think, he doesn't gel his hair up, it sticks up because of how he sleeps, with two pillows squished over both sides of his head. 

  
  


He yawned softly, he had showered for nearly thirty minutes, he felt very relaxed, and somewhat tired. Checking himself out in the mirror to make sure he was decent, he walked out of the bathrooms, holding his shampoo inside his towel. As he walked through the halls, he noticed a couple students going to lunch early. It was past eleven by now, so the cafeteria was probably serving food. Maybe he could ask Kenma to go to lunch with him, then they could get to know eachother better, but have the excuse of eating if they got awkward and didn't want to actually talk. He wasn't sure if Kenma would be comfortable with that though, when he asks, he has to make sure it's clear that he can say no.

He decided to knock softly onto the dorm door before entering, even if he lived there, so did kenma, and he knew he should do his best to make kenma comfortable. He felt somewhat awkward as he held onto his shower supplies, hair still dripping, waiting at his own dorm door to be answered. He tapped his foot softly, kenma should still be at home, right? Maybe kenma was one of the students who left for lunch early, maybe to avoid kuroo. No, that was probably not the reason, that was just kuroo’s mind getting the best of him once again, after the conversation they had, he had proper hopes for the two of them becoming friends. He blushed softly at the thought of something more. He scolded himself, he barely even knew kenma. He couldn't help himself to have the thought nevertheless, kenma was pretty cute after all. Some more time passed and he decided to enter the dorm. Opening the door, slowly at first, he raised his eyebrows as he saw kenma sitting at his desk. He seemed to be doing something intense on his laptop, multiple wires connected, and a pro headset over his ears.

  
  


{~}

  
  


Kenma had decided to play video games while kuroo was in the shower, there was no harm in playing for a bit while he was out. He stuck on his headphones, plugging them into his laptop. His laptop was a high quality one, it ran rather fast, and ran a lot of things as well. He saved up for it for quite a while, since he could do coding, and run his games on it with great screen quality, it was his prized possession. That, and his portable gaming devices, those were great for travel and distractions. He connected his nintendo switch so he could play zelda breath of the wild with pc controls. He didn't realize how much time had passed since he got distracted beating a shrine. He grumbled to himself, this certain shrine was stumping him, but he didn't want to search up a tutorial online. He found that cheating. In kenma terms, a game stumping him means it takes more than ten minutes to figure out, he had been staring at this particular shrine for nearly twenty minutes. He snapped out of his trance when he heard a knock at the door, he decided to ignore it, he didn't want to awkwardly face a stranger. After a few minutes, he felt a hand tap his shoulder, startling him.

  
  


Looking behind him swifty, he saw Kuroo looking over kenmas shoulder at his screen, curiosity clear in his eyes. “Are you playing that zelda game?” Kenma couldn't explain the dust of blush that rose to his cheeks, maybe it was because of how kuroo's voice flowed through his ears and into his soul. Something about his voice soothed kenma in a way nothing else could, he enjoyed it. Kenma felt his blush grow as he fully realized his thoughts. Looking down at his keyboard, he let his hair fall over his face to hide the blush. He quickly realized that because of his headphones keeping his hair in place, his hair wouldn't cover his face enough to hide his blush. Unfortunately, this caused him to blush even more, it was definitely obvious by now. “I'm going to guess from your silence it is” kuroo said with a humorous tone ringing in his voice. Kenma nodded quickly, embarrassed he never actually responded to the question, as he was distracted with enjoying kuroo’s voice.

  
  


After a bit of silence, Kenma continuing to work his way at finishing the shrine’s puzzle, Kuroo spoke again. “Try climbing up that wall” Kenma held in a laugh, kuroo obviously didn't play this game before. “The wall is way too tall for me to climb it, I do have to get up there somehow.” kuroo nodded, kenma wasn't even looking at him, but he could tell kuroo was thinking. “Can you like, make a ladder of vines?” kenma shook his head. “If there was water i might be able to get up there, i'm trying to see if there's a higher point i could glide from” since kenma was so focused on his game, and kuroos voice, though he wouldn't admit that second part, he didn't feel much anxiety at talking so freely to kuroo. It actually felt quite comfortable and nice. 

  
  


He noticed water nearby that he could put ice pillars off of and climb to another level, which he could glide from. He quickly climbed up, happy he could finally move on from the shrine. Before he could run to the platform to glide from, two guardians popped up from the ground. “Woah, what are those?” He had nearly forgotten that kuroo was watching him, he skillfully avoided attacks, landing a few, but taking his time as to not break his sword with missed strikes. “There guardians, you have to fight them. Once you know how it’s easy.” kuroo nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. “They look annoying” Kenma nodded in agreement.

  
  


Some time passed and kenma had defeated both the guardians, and completed the shrine, earning another spirit orb. He would soon have to travel to a village to exchange them for his desired prize. He felt oddly comforted by kuroo’s presence, even though the taller man was not helping him at all. If anything, his talking was making kenma struggle more. But then again, hearing kuroos voice was something Kenma decided he would always enjoy.”earth to kenma~ i asked a question” kenma looked up from his game towards kuroo, a questioning look on his face. “I was wondering if you'd like to go get lunch, I think the cafeteria is open by now. If you want to finish your game that's fine though!” Kenma, without thinking very much, nodded. “Really? Great! Uh, should we head out then?” kenma nodded again, quickly saving his game and quitting. Setting his headphones down, he turned off his laptop, and grabbed his wallet from his backpack to pay for his food.

  
  


{~}

  
  


Kuroo was feeling happy, Kenma had seemed comfortable while Kuroo had watched him do his video games. He hoped kenma would want to become his friend, and it seemed more and more likely as time went on. He also felt his heart demand that he accept his hopes of something more than friends, but he was doing his best to ignore that until it was more likely that would actually happen. “Want to go get lunch?” After a moment of no response, he frowned and spoke up, trying to catch kenmas attention. “Earth to kenma~ i asked a question” he cringed softly at himself, hoping his words didn't seem rude. Seeing kenma look up at him, he had to remind himself not to stare at his golden eyes for too long.

  
  


Asking his question again, he felt his heart soar as kenma nodded in response. He has to admit, he thought kenma would say no, although he was very pleased he didn't. “Really? Great! Uh- should we head out now then?” he felt ecstatic as he watched kenma nod again, and proceed to grab what seemed to be his wallet. Kuroo grabbed his backpack, knowing his wallet was in it. He would go straight to his lecture after lunch with kenma, so he didn't bother with digging his wallet out. He smiled as he saw kenma standing by the door waiting for him, looking absolutely beau- no, kenma was standing at the door, er- holding his wallet… he cringed at his mind, before heading out of the dorm, kenma right behind him as they made their way to the cafeteria. If all goes well, kuroo hopes he and kenma can become close friends. Friends. Definitely just friends. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for another late update, and for the somewhat shorter chapter. i try to make each chapter at least 2000 words but i think this one is less. i was busy with mothers day, and moving accounts on instagram, which is quite an annoying process tbh. and literally 35 out of 1023 of my followers actually followed me to my new acc, so im kinda sad ;w;  
> anyway  
> hope you liked the chapter! ill try to post the next one early to make up for late updates
> 
> social media:  
> instagram: @tomanyfandxms  
> yes thats my olny social media


	4. a lunch date(?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> eating food and making nicknames

_ Kuroo walked out from his class, he had been in his second year of middle school for a few days now. His first year of middle school had gone surprisingly well. Even though he didn't get the confidence to join volleyball, he made a couple friends that played. He played with them outside of school, and found himself talking with them quite openly. His closest friend was tomoya, but there were two others tomoya knew that he had befriended as well. They had convinced him to join volleyball next year, as a practice for highschool, which is when he decided he would really work hard in a team. They wanted him to be a setter, since apparently they really needed one. There had been one guy they asked who wasn't in a club, but they said they weren't interested in athletics. Kuroo wasn't interested in being a setter either way. A couple weeks later, they convinced a kid in the basketball club who was a bench warmer to go to volleyball instead. _

_. _

Kenma was shocked at himself, he didn't think he would be bonding with his roommate so fast. He kept his gaze on his feet as they walked towards the cafeteria, unsure whether he should smile, or be afraid. Before he knew it, they were standing in line to get food, he hoped he didn't seem rude to have been spaced out the whole walk there. Taking a glance at kuroo’s face, he realized he might not have been the only one. Kuroos eyes were staring off into the void of nothingness, he seemed to be in his own world, just as kenma was until a couple seconds ago. Hesitating for a moment, he tapped on kuroos shoulder, snapping the taller man out of his trance. “You should get ready to order food.” kenma said softly and simply, letting his hair fall over his face as he looked away from kuroo.

  
  


Kuroo looked down at him, looking surprised for a moment before smiling. “Ah, yeah, sorry about that! I got a little distracted.” kenma nodded gently, mumbling his response. “It's ok” the line grew shorter as the students ordered their lunches, eventually, it was kuroo and kenma’s turn. Kuroo stepped up to the counter first. “Hi, could i have fish and chips with a pepsi?” Once he got his order, he paid, and stood to the side with his food, letting kenma step up next. “..uh, i'd like a slice of apple pie and some water please..” the cashier nodded, kenma paid and got his food, following kuroo to a table off to the side. They sat awkwardly for a moment, the two of them beginning to eat. “Is that all you're going to eat?” kuroo said, breaking the silence. Kenma nodded, scooping a bite of the apple pie onto his fork. “I'm not too hungry.” he said softly. Kuroo shrugged, and dug into his meal.

  
  


Kenma ate at a normal pace, trying his best to seem comfortable. Although he felt a lot more comfortable than he usually would in these situations. ‘These situations’ being any social interaction at all. He consciously took a quiet breath before starting a conversation, seeing that this could be a good opportunity to get to know the person he would be stuck with for the next year. “So, where are you from?” he spoke with little interest, he didn't want to seem like a creep. Kuroo glanced up at him and smiled, seemingly glad that kenma had ended the awkward silence. “I'm from Tokyo, went to Nekoma highschool. What about you?” Kenma looked up from the fork he had been poking the last of his pie with, interest sparking in his eyes. “Tokyo, nekoma highschool.”

  
  


Kuroo blinked and just stared at kenma for a moment, before speaking again. “I guess we never really saw each other, since we were in different years” Kenma nodded. Silence continued for a moment before Kenma realized he had to talk for the conversation to continue. “I was never really that social in highschool to begin with.” he left out the fact he still was. Although he guessed that Kuroo already knew that, it was pretty obvious after all. “I was never overly friendly in highschool either, but I had a nice group of friends! I joined the volleyball club, met a lot of people there that I'm still in contact with now.” kenma looked at Kuroo's face, reading his expression. He had a somewhat wistful look in his eyes, looking towards the sky like in some dramatic manga. He felt a soft smile on his face, his roommate was starting to seem like a bit of a dork. No complaints.

  
  


“The only people in my contact list are my parents.” Kenma was somewhat surprised he said a joke, although it was basically true. He felt comforted by the fact he was comfortable enough to joke around a little without being overly nervous of getting judged. Kuroo let out a small breathy laugh in response. “ heh, what about we add mine in there?” he said with a smirk, kenma let out his own soft laugh. He had to admit, that was pretty smooth. “If you really want to, sure.” he hesitated for a moment before opening his contacts and handing his phone to kuroo, who scolded through his list and raised his eyebrows. “You really weren't kidding, I'll introduce you to a few of my friends some time. If you're alright with that, they're all pretty annoying!” he joked with a smile on his face. 

  
  


After a brief moment kuroo handed the phone back to kenma, he had set his contact name as “kuro” kenma suppressed a laugh at the typo. Kuroo seemed to notice this. “What's so funny~?” he whined, pouting at kenma. “Kuro.” Kenma replied in monotone, with a short noise from kuroo, he had snatched the phone from kenma and looked at the contact. “It's just a typo, you know my name” kenma snatched the phone back, letting a bit of sass grow over his face. “Kuro.” kuroo groaned at the new nickname, pouting at kenma, but a smile evident in his eyes. “Well, koneko, you should eat that pie before it gets cold~” Kenma blinked, his brain processing the nickname kuroo had chosen for him. “Koneko? Really?” kuroo just nodded, seemingly happy with the response. The two of them continued to eat their food, silence taking over once more, although this time it was quite comfortable.

  
  


Kenma had finished his pie and was sipping on his water while playing some random game on his phone, waiting for kuroo to finish his meal. Kuroo finished rather quickly as well, only giving kenma time to complete two levels. Kuroo looked towards kenma, kenma nodded in return. They both picked up their empty trays and put the garbage in the door garbage can thingy that are always in mall food courts, putting the tray on the top of it after. Kenma continued playing on his game, one hand holding his phone and the other in his hoodie pocket. They got to the cafeteria building's entrance, and Kenma looked up quickly when he heard kuroos voice. “I should get to my class now, see you back at the dorms later!” Kenma smiled softly, taking his hand out of his pocket and waving goodbye. Kuroo smiled in return, and dashed off towards his class.

  
  


Kenma sighed to himself. He felt socially drained, but also relaxed and somewhat energetic. He walked back to the dorms with a hop in his step, reaching the dorm building rather quickly. He went up to his floor and into his dorm room, flopping onto his bed. He reached out his phone and opened kuros contact, sending a quick text. 

**From: unknown**

**To: kuro**

**Hey**

  
  


Kenma settled into his sheets, playing on his switch. His phone dinged with a notification, he quickly paused his game and checked. 

**From: kuro**

**To: unknown**

**Guessing this is you koneko?**

**From: unknown**

**To: kuro**

**Yes, but also no**

**_Kuro changed unknowns name to koneko_ **

**From: koneko**

**To: kuro**

**Aren't you in class?**

  
  


**From: kuro**

**To: koneko**

**Alr alr~ see you l8r!**

  
  
  


Kenma found himself smiling softly at the screen of his phone, once noticing this fact he inhaled a quick breath and a blush rose to his cheeks. He bit his lip softly and unpaused his game, frustrated at the fact he was having more trouble finishing this level than before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long hiatus! my inspiration has finally returned so hopefully i can keep up a schedule again!  
> btw, koneko means kitten in Japanese!
> 
> instagram: tomanyfandxms

**Author's Note:**

> Eventually this will be a ship fic- I guess it's kind of a slow burn cx  
> I'm gonna actually keep up with this one since I've got nothing better to do during quarintine- there should be a new chapter every 1-2 weeks! ^^  
> I hope you enjoyed it-


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